Rejection
by zzilly14
Summary: A young woman gets rescued by the gargoyles and befriends Brooklyn. Chapter 3 up.
1. Chapter 1

_Greg Weisman is the genius behind Gargoyles, not me._  
  
Expanded version of some drabbles written for challenge100 LJ community's challenge #53, "Nothing But Words" (using the word "shadows").  
  


** Rejection  
Chapter 1  
**by Zzilly14  


  
  
The golden-haired young woman walked slowly down the street, staring at the littered sidewalk. Her brown slacks covered unshaven legs and she was wearing a simple red blouse that buttoned down the middle.  
  
She had been living in a New York apartment for five months and still couldn't greet the faces she passed. She hid herself from the world, afraid of being hurt again.  
  
Her heart ached for someone, someone who would respect her and love her and never leave her. But each time she thought she found a decent guy, he turned out to be a cheater or just a stupid jackass. Maybe New York wasn't the best place to find Mr. Right.  
  
"Hey Blondie. Wanna play?"  
  
She looked up cautiously to see a gang of three men surrounding her, holding bats and maces.  
  
"Um... no thanks," she stuttered. "I... must be going."  
  
She spun around and quickly ran away from them, not noticing the shadows hovering over her.  
  
She could hear the footsteps behind her, but she continued running faster and faster. How did she get herself into these situations?  
  
Suddenly she heard one of the men screaming. The other two gang members yelled and she was relieved to hear their steps scurrying the other direction.  
  
She stopped and hunched over, out of breath. It was then she realized the shadows of her heroes.  
  
She turned around and was shocked to see two winged creatures unlike any she had ever seen.  
  
"What are... You have... You're not..." She fainted, falling into the crimson gargoyle's arms.  
  
...  
  
"Let's go back to the tower," Brooklyn told his friend Lexington. "We can't leave her alone out here with those thugs around."  
  
Minutes later the two gargoyles arrived back at clocktower. They brought the unconscious woman inside and forced Hudson out of his recliner before laying her delicately on it.  
  
"Where's Elisa?" Lexington asked the older gargoyle.  
  
"She had to... uh... use the facilities? She said she'd be back soon."  
  
"Hey guys!" Elisa smiled, walking up the stairs. She looked at the woman and gasped. "Oh my... what happened?"  
  
"I think she fainted," stated Lexington. "Will she be okay?"  
  
She felt the woman's forehead and nodded. "She should be fine. You probably just scared her, that's all."  
  
"That's all we ever do," Brooklyn spat. "Scare people. Sometimes I really hate being a gargoyle." He punched the wall angrily and stormed out of the room.  
  
Lexington sighed and followed him outside, finding his friend staring at the city sadly.  
  
"Brook? It's not the end of the world. We'll be accepted by humans again. Someday."  
  
"But not today," he replied bitterly.  
  
...  
  
The woman found herself in a castle of some sorts. Is this a dream? she thought. She looked to her right and saw a raven-haired woman sitting, reading a book.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
She looked up from the novel and smiled. "Hey there. How you feeling?"  
  
"Okay, I guess... how long was I out?"  
  
"About two hours," she said as she glanced at her watch. "Something must've spooked you pretty bad."  
  
She shuddered. "It was terrible and unreal. They were..."  
  
"Real live gargoyles?"  
  
"Yes... how did you...?"  
  
"They're my friends," she smiled. "They saved you from a bunch of goons, right?"  
  
"I think so," she replied, scratching her head. "But they looked so... evil."  
  
The woman laughed. "Actually, quite the opposite. The gargoyles are like... protective shadows. They watch your back, but they do it secretively."  
  
She pondered this new information as Elisa told her all about these interesting creatures.  
  
...  
  
The crimson gargoyle felt powerless. True, he could scare the bad guys away. But he didn't want to scare the good guys, the people he saved. He felt disgusted with himself as he observed the city life of Manhattan.  
  
"You're Brooklyn, right?"  
  
He turned around from his despair and was surprised to see the shy young woman.  
  
"That's me," he smiled awkwardly. "Uh... what's your name?"  
  
"Sarah." She brushed a few strands of blonde hair behind her ear. "Elisa told me about you... gargoyles. And I'm sorry for fainting on you. I just never realized mythical creatures could really exist."  
  
"Hey, it's okay," he lied. "Don't worry about it."  
  
She smiled softly, almost forgetting the tragedy that was her life.  
  
Brooklyn thought for a moment. "Would you like a tour of the city?"  
  
"I kind of live here," she laughed.  
  
"But I bet you haven't had the aerial tour," he grinned.  
  
All of the sudden he grabbed her and he took to the air, gliding happily for the first time in weeks.  
  
"Wow!" Sarah exclaimed. "This is amazing!"  
  
Brooklyn held her warmly against his chest as he glided above the bright lights of the city.  
  
"Pretty cool, huh?"  
  
"I never thought it could be... beautiful..." she uttered almost sadly.  
  
After a half hour Brooklyn headed for a nearby rooftop and landed gently, letting Sarah escape his embrace.  
  
"I need to... uh... rest my wings for a few minutes. Is that okay?"  
  
"Sure," she nodded, turning away from him. She stared at the shadows cast by the buildings, thinking about Elisa's stories. "Why are you afraid?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're afraid of something. I can sense it."  
  
"I'm not scared of anything, Sarah," he said almost angrily.  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"No I'm not!"  
  
Sarah faced him curiously. "If you're not afraid, then why do you hide?"  
  
"Because you humans are afraid of us!" Brooklyn screamed. Then he sighed heavily, letting his voice quiet. "To you, we're scary monsters. But we're not. Our job is to protect humans. And unless we're doing that..."  
  
"You lurk in the shadows," Sarah finished.  
  
"I just hate this world sometimes. I hate it that I scare people. I hate being rejected." He observed the city sadly. "I hate being a gargoyle. Maybe if I were human, it wouldn't be so bad..."  
  
"Rejection isn't limited to gargoyles," she informed him.  
  
Brooklyn gazed at the blonde-haired woman, whose tears had started to fall.  
  
"I've been rejected all my life. I never had many friends, and the ones I have now are too busy traveling around the world. They don't have time for me anymore.  
  
"And guys? I should probably just forget them. The only ones that give me a chance only want one thing. When they realize they won't get it, they dump me like a piece of trash."  
  
"I'm sorry," the gargoyle uttered empathetically. "I'm sorry no one sees you for the great person you are."  
  
"I'm not a great person," Sarah uttered solemnly. "I judged you before I knew you."  
  
"Shrek fan?" Brooklyn mused.  
  
She laughed. "Yeah. One of my favorite movies. I've seen it so many times. You'd think I'd learn a thing or two from it..." She sat down on the edge, letting her legs dangle over the city.  
  
"Sarah," he encouraged as he stood on the ledge next to her. "Don't be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. We all do stupid things. Especially me..."  
  
"You? Now it's my turn to say don't be hard on yourself."  
  
The gargoyle looked down at a couple getting out of taxi and watched them as they headed inside an apartment building.  
  
"I haven't had much luck in the romance department either, Sarah. The only females I've liked... they rejected me. I always go for the wrong ones, I guess. And it's hard. See, there aren't many gargoyles around today. The only one here in Manhattan already has a mate. Sometimes I think I'll never find the right gargoyle."  
  
Sarah put her hand on Brooklyn's arm. "Maybe it's because your match isn't a gargoyle."  
  
He stared into her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Exactly what it sounds like," she replied with a smile. "What I mean is... you never know where you'll find that special someone."  
  
They stared at each other for a few moments before Brooklyn cleared his throat awkwardly.  
  
"So... um... I should get you back to the clocktower. I need to patrol... and, uh, it's almost sunrise anyway."  
  
"The stone sleep thing," she remembered. "Can I see you again?"  
  
"You mean, hang out?" he asked nervously.  
  
"I'd like that a lot," she beamed.  
  
_TO BE CONTINUED..._  



	2. Chapter 2

_Greg Weisman is the genius behind Gargoyles, not me._

** Rejection  
Chapter 2  
**by Zzilly14  


"What an exhausting day!" Sarah exclaimed to Elisa as they waited for the sun to set at the clocktower. "I haven't had so much fun since... ever!"

"I'm glad you had a good time playing tourist," Elisa grinned.

Sarah observed the gargoyle statues. "Okay... so after sunset, they all break from their stone cocoons?"

"I've never heard it put like that. But it's a perfect way to describe it. Now, don't stand too close, or stone fragments might hit you."

"I'll be careful," she grinned, staring at the Brooklyn statue expectantly.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and moments later the clan broke through the stone encasing them, their bellowing roars causing Sarah to almost trip backwards.

"Sarah!" Brooklyn smiled. "I didn't think you were coming until later."

"Well... you thought wrong," she replied jokingly.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?"

The large lavender gargoyle cleared his throat. "Brooklyn, you and Lexington have patrol."

"Goliath... we did it last night. Can Broadway and Angela do it? I want to spend time with my new friend, Sarah. You haven't met her, have you?"

The two shook hands before Brooklyn had Sarah meet the rest of the clan.

"And this is Bronx," he laughed as the garg beast jumped on Sarah, licking her face happily. "He sure likes you."

"That's good," she giggled as she pet the blue animal, "because I love dogs!"

"Brooklyn, you may have the night off," Goliath relented.

"Thanks. Come on, Sarah, I've got something to show you."

She quickly put her arms around him, causing both to blush. Brooklyn refused to look in her eyes as he took off and glided towards the southern part of the city.

Moments later they arrived at the Statue of Liberty, landing on Lady Liberty's torch.

"What did you want to show me?" Sarah wondered.

Brooklyn pointed to the starry sky. "You can see the stars better out here. I've been learning about the constellations, and many nights I'll come out here and just study it. It's pretty amazing."

The two sat and stared at the vast scene above them.

"When I was a little girl," Sarah said, "I liked to look up at the sky and anticipate seeing a falling star."

"What's a falling star?"

Sarah beamed. "It looks like what it sounds like, but it's actually a meteoroid falling into the atmosphere, and it makes a brief streak in the sky. Lots of people wish on them, myself included."

"What do you wish for?"

She drifted her eyes to the red gargoyle and smiled softly. "Happiness. I want to wake up in the morning and be happy to begin another day."

Brooklyn stared at Sarah curiously. "You don't wake up happy?"

"Not in a long time. I wake up and wish I was someone else. Live another life. Be somebody special."

"But you are special, Sarah." He held her soft pale-colored hands and smiled into the beautiful face before him. "I barely even know you, and yet... never mind."

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing."

"Yes you were. And if it's what I think you were going to say," she laughed, "I feel the same way."

Brooklyn's eyes grew wide. "Okay, we're probably not on the same page here. What did you think I was going to say?"

"That you like me. Yes, Brooklyn, I'm attracted to you. There, I said it!" Sarah giggled as she squeezed the gargoyle's talons. "I like you. You're the sweetest male I've ever been on a date with."

"Date?!" he squealed, suddenly letting go of her hands.

"What else would you call what we're doing?"

"Hanging out? That's what you said last night!"

Sarah grinned, "Hanging out. Date. Same thing!"

"Okay, okay... yeah. So, uh... what do you want to do now?"

"I'm hungry," she nodded. "Can we grab a bite to eat?"

"If we order delivery. You know, me being a gargoyle, I can't really go out to a restaurant."

"I know. I was thinking the exact same thing. What do you like on your pizza?"

"Pizza?" Brooklyn groaned. "When I was thinking delivery, I meant Elisa picking it up for us. I definitely did not mean pizza!"

"Oh, sorry," Sarah blushed a bright red and looked at the ground. "I... I had no idea."

Brooklyn took her hands once more and smiled softly. "It's okay, you didn't know. But now you do. No reason to get upset. I mean, it's just food."

She looked up into his eyes and nodded. "Okay. So what food do you like?"

He grinned devilishly. "You'll find out later. I want our breakfast... dinner... whatever meal it is, to be a surprise."

...

"Hey guys, we come bearing gifts!" Elisa's voice echoed throughout the clocktower.

"We?" Sarah thought aloud.

Brooklyn and Sarah were sitting on the couch, watching television, when Elisa and Matt Bluestone entered carrying bags of food.

"I don't think I'll eat that much," Sarah laughed.

Elisa shook her head as she set her things on a table nearby. "You don't need to. We decided to get enough for the rest of the guys. They'd get mad at me if I didn't bring them some goodies."

Brooklyn smiled, "Especially Broadway!"

Matt placed the other bags on the table, and then he noticed Sarah.

"Uh... hi!" he greeted with a goofy grin. "I'm Matt Bluestone. Elisa's partner." He stuck out his hand and Sarah shook it.

"Sarah McDonald. I'm a friend of Brooklyn's. He kind of saved my life."

"He tends to do that," Matt smiled, winking at the beaked gargoyle.

"So... we should probably leave you two alone," Elisa interjected, dragging Matt with her to the exit. "See you later!"

"Ready to be surprised? Brooklyn asked with a wicked smile. The smile slowly faded when he saw Sarah staring towards the exit. "Oh..."

"Oh what?" she wondered, turning her eyes to the gargoyle. "You okay?"

"It's... nothing."

"So, what do we have to eat? My stomach's growling!"

"Uh... go see for yourself. I need to... get some fresh air."

"Okay, I'll just check out... Yum! Sub sandwiches! How did you ever..." She stopped when she realized Brooklyn had gone outside.

"I wonder what's wrong..."

...

Brooklyn stared hard at the city, sadness enveloping his body. He should've known rejection was coming. It always happened to him. Always. He should've realized it was too good to last. He should've...

"Brooklyn?"

He refused to look at her. He didn't want her to see the tears begging to come out of his eyes. "What?" he asked quietly.

"Okay, something happened back inside, and I don't know what, but you're definitely displaying a change of attitude. I want to know why. And don't give me the 'it's nothing' bull crap."

He sighed.

"Come on, Brooklyn. You can talk to me. I'm here to listen."

"Bluestone," he muttered.

"Huh?"

"I... I saw the way you were looking at him. I thought maybe that... well, you know."

"Actually, I don't."

"I thought you'd start liking him and forget all about me."

Sarah walked over to the gargoyle and turned his face towards her. She caressed his beak tenderly. "You're not someone forgettable, Brooklyn. Don't think that. And you know what? Yes, I think Matt's an attractive guy. But what am I doing right now? Who am I spending time with? Who am I getting to know?"

Brooklyn lifted his talon and brushed back Sarah's golden hair away from her face. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for acting like a child, I just have some self-esteem issues to work through."

"Hey, you and me both. We're in this together, remember? We're gonna help each other boost our self-esteem. What are friends for, you know?"

The crimson gargoyle had the sudden urge to kiss her passionately on the lips, to connect with her in a deeper way than with anyone else he knew. But he simply smiled and nodded. "Friends," he repeated. "Friends."

_TO BE CONTINUED..._  



	3. Chapter 3

_Greg Weisman is the genius behind Gargoyles, not me._

** Rejection  
Chapter 3  
**by Zzilly14  


A few weeks later, Brooklyn and the other gargoyles awoke to rain showering on their backs. Elisa, wearing a large black raincoat, was waiting for them under a bright red umbrella.

"Hey guys," she greeted with a sigh. "It's been raining cats and dogs since eleven this morning, and I don't think it's going to stop any time soon."

The crimson gargoyle looked around. "Where's Sarah?" he wondered as droplets fell from his white hair.

"She said she had a lot of errands and might not make it till later."

"Oh," was all Brooklyn could utter.

"Well, time for me to do my job and protect this city," Elisa stated. "You got my back, Big Guy?"

"As always," Goliath smiled before gliding away. The raven-haired detective waved to the clan and headed back downstairs.

"Brook?" Broadway said. "Lex and I are going to watch that new James Bond movie. Wanna come?"

"Nah," he responded. "You guys go on ahead."

"Suit yourself," the green gargoyle shrugged.

Brooklyn was left alone in the clocktower with Hudson and Bronx. It wasn't that they were bad company, but the young gargoyle wanted to do more than just sit around watching T.V.

"I'm going to patrol," he told the elder gargoyle.

"Want me to join you, lad? I may not be a hatchling, but..."

"Stay here with Bronx," Brooklyn interrupted. "Watch some T.V., relax. I can take care of myself."

"I wasn't saying that you were incapable, lad. I just offered to..."

"See you later, Hudson," he said before leaving, gliding out into the city with nowhere to go.

...

A few hours later, Brooklyn returned to the clocktower looking as forlorn as he did when he left. But his expression changed instantly when he saw Sarah sitting beside Hudson on the couch, the both of them laughing hysterically.

"I told you this show was great!" Sarah managed to say while wiping tears of joy from her eyes. "If I'm ever sad, I watch 'Whose Line,' and it never ceases to cheer me up."

"It's sorcery! How do they sing songs that don't exist, and make it sound that good?"

"It's called talent," Sarah grinned before turning her eyes to the crimson gargoyle standing in the entrance.

"Hey," Brooklyn smiled softly. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," she replied, following him outside into the rain.

He stared at her as they became drenched with rain. She was wearing blue jeans with a purple sweatshirt, and her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"What's up, Brook?" she wondered.

"I've got a problem, and I don't know what to do."

"I'm listening."

"Well," he began. "I've been depressed."

"Brooklyn..."

"And I'm starting to realize that when I get depressed, I don't want to be near anyone." _Except you_, he thought to himself.

"Why are you depressed? What happened?" Sarah prodded.

Brooklyn was silent as he looked up at the rain falling on him. He closed his eyes and welcomed the cooling showers.

"Talk to me!"

"I was out patrolling," he admitted. "And I saw this young kid running from a bunch of goons. They might've been the same ones chasing you. Anyway, I scared them off. And when the kid took one look at me, he screamed, as loudly as he could, 'Monster!'"

"Oh, Brooklyn!" Sarah sympathized, stroking his dripping hair. "You shouldn't let that get you down."

"But I can't help it! Everywhere I go, I'm labeled a monster, and people get scared of me. I'm tired of it, Sarah."

Sarah noticed tears coming from his eyes, and she gently wiped them away. "Come inside, Brook. 'Whose Line' will cheer you up."

"It might, but it won't fix the problem," he muttered.

"Brooklyn... this is a problem that won't be fixed overnight. I mean, unless you suddenly became human, people are still going to be ignorant fools when it comes to beings different from them."

Brooklyn's eyes lit up. "Thank you!" he smiled, embracing his human friend.

"Um, what for?" Sarah asked with confusion.

"I gotta go... see you tomorrow!" he said before gliding off towards the Eyrie Building.

...

"Good evening, Brooklyn. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" Xanatos asked from behind his desk.

"I need to talk to Puck."

"Puck is unavailable at the moment. He's with my son, for magic lessons."

"This can't wait, Xanatos," Brooklyn growled. "Get Puck over here now!"

"Hold on," the businessman relented.

He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number.

"It's me. You're needed."

Suddenly the trickster and five-year old Alex appeared in the office.

"Ah, the beaked gargoyle," Puck smiled at Brooklyn. "What do you want from me?"

"Change me. I'm tired of being a gargoyle."

"You want to be human?" he wondered.

Brooklyn nodded.

"Are you sure about this? Because I can't guarantee a life of happiness."

The gargoyle's eyes glowed white. "You will make me human."

"Fine, fine. Let's see," he pondered as he floated towards the ceiling. "_Stone by day, warrior by night/This beaked one will take one last flight/Come the sunrise, his form will change/He will no longer be the same/Human form he will take/May this spell never break!_"

Xanatos clapped his hands. "Excellent work, Puck. At sunrise, Brooklyn will be a new man."

"Sunrise..." Brooklyn smiled thoughtfully.

...

"That movie was great," Broadway laughed. "Did you see the way he..."

Goliath landed and looked around. "Where is Brooklyn? It's almost sunrise."

Sarah came out from inside and looked up at the rain clouds, which were finally dissipating. "He was kind of sad last night," she said. "He took off, I think towards that building with the castle."

"Xanatos?" Hudson wondered. "What would he want with Xanatos?"

"Hey guys," Brooklyn said as he landed. "Sorry I'm late."

Sarah stared at him. "Where'd you go?"

"Had to think," he said too quickly.

Before anyone could question him, the sun's rays began to appear from the horizon. The gargoyles turned into stone, save one.

Brooklyn screamed as his beak began to shrink, his wings disappeared into his back, and his coloring became lighter and lighter. When it was all over, he was down on the ground, out of breath.

Sarah stood frozen, not believing her eyes. "Brooklyn?" she whispered.

He looked up and smiled. "Wow, you're even more beautiful with the sun hitting your face."

She helped him up and couldn't comprehend what had happened, speechless at his new form.

"If you're wondering, which you probably are, it was a spell."

"A spell?" she finally managed to say. "Like, magic?"

"Yeah. Pretty cool, huh? Now I don't have to worry about people calling me a monster, ever again."

Sarah hugged him tightly, not wanting him to see the frown on her face. 


End file.
